News New Haunted Mansion Grounds Expansion, Retail Shop Coming to Disneyland Resort in 2024

[duncedoof]

Looks great! Kim definitely lost some respect from me though. I get what she's saying, but the way she's saying it and discussing fans is concerning. I can't wait to see the updated ride when I eventually go back though!

“It would be impossible for us to make everything" is certainly a quote...

Should explain how it was 'impossible' to create a face sculpture for this new ride instead of another projection? Why was that even necessary this time? She's silent!

 

[Consumer]

The LA Times has a first look at the new Bride scene in Haunted Mansion - here's the video (skip to 2:03 to go directly to the scene):



Link to the article with more details:

First look: Disneyland's original Haunted Mansion returns with a heartbreaking new scene

In the ride’s trademark attic scene, there’s still a tortured bride, but she’s never quite looked or acted like this.

www.latimes.com

Huge upgrade over Constance, but is it just me or does it still seem flat and static? I'll wait to see it in its full context, but that's just my first impression.

Sidenote: I've never been given my due credit of calling a new bride back when the closure was announced in 2023.

I imagine this announcement would be quite different had the new movie not been a financial and critical disaster. We'll see how this turns out. It's hard to see exactly where the expanded queue will be going and what this means for the rest of New Orleans Square. Also curious to see if there will be any interior changes, such as a new bride.

 

[PizzaPlanet]

Based on the way she spoke about the bride scene, I have to wonder if they are planning to change it at MK as well

 

[lazyboy97o]

Kim blaming fans for Walt Disney Imagineering‘s bad decisions isn’t exactly new. And so often it’s just a complete shirking of responsibility. No responsibility for being behind schedule. No responsibility for purchases. No responsibility for design decisions.

 

[VJ]

"constaaaaaaance, what happened to your husbands?"
"i'unno! [exaggerated shrug]"
"oh, constance! [eyeroll]"
[laugh track and fade]

 

[duncedoof]

They were always going to get to Constance one day. The effect never panned out as expected and she's never been that popular (as they're implying?). They finally pushed the button, got it done, and they want to get "brownie points" with that explanation in the interview.

I don't buy for a second that was the initial reasoning. They just want to look good. Who would want to say "hardcore fans never liked Constance" on an vetted article?

 

[TTA94]

Based on the way she spoke about the bride scene, I have to wonder if they are planning to change it at MK as well

Yeah I’ll be surprised if they don’t change the bride at MK due to that reasoning.

 

[Gusey]

Given Kim Irvine's experience with fan overreaction (death threats over the characters in Small World) I can understand why she has become a bit more dismissive of certain fan outcry. I could almost imagine the eye rolls as she was saying it, but I definitely think it is a lot more lighthearted than some are making out. The AI was a bad move, even as just a placeholder, but we all know that if there were no placeholders then there would be fan outcry over how empty it is. And it seems like she did fight for the shop to be the size it is than even bigger.

 

[truecoat]

If it may be triggering to some guests, why not add a warning to the signs they have outside almost every attraction? The theme park equivalent of “Contains tobacco depictions”

The new Walt Disney-A Magical Life show will have the "Contains tobacco depictions" warning. When the show starts, Walt will have his back to the audience and you'll see a puff of smoke. Then Walt will flick his cigarette offstage. The same technology used to make Spider-man fly in Avenger's Campus will be used for the cigarette. It will be the smallest "stunt-tronic" created so far but will flip realistically like a real cigarette.

 

[VicariousCorpse]

So they Melanie-ified the bride. They gave her the candelabra to hold, is probably going to disappear and reappear like Melanie does in the endless hallway. They also completely changed her character. Instead of an axe-wielding money hungry bride, she is now sad and tragic as ALL of her husbands have tragically went missing...

 

[britain]

So they Melanie-ified the bride. They gave her the candelabra to hold, is probably going to disappear and reappear like Melanie does in the endless hallway. They also completely changed her character. Instead of an axe-wielding money hungry bride, she is now sad and tragic as ALL of her husbands have tragically went missing...

More like the original Haunted Mansion bride. It's not a change, it's a restoration.

I just hope the 'lub-dub' sound is loud enough.

 

[duncedoof]

The original Haunted Mansion bride was totally ambiguous. This is more like taking us back to the sweeter smurf brides from the 90's, which were definitely leaning into tragic figures. Either way, there's certainly precedent.

Oh, or are we gonna start asking for Constance back now?

 

[britain]

The original Haunted Mansion bride was totally ambiguous. This is more like taking us back to the sweeter smurf brides from the 90's, which were definitely leaning into tragic figures. Either way, there's certainly precedent.

Oh, or are we gonna start asking for Constance back now?

The wedding decor still says Constance on it, so that's still her name.

I'm sure in about 15-20 years the next generation will be nostalgic for her to return.

 

[VicariousCorpse]

In the video you can see one of the portraits still in the attic and Kim talks about them just going missing. I guess that means instead of their head disappearing, the husbands will disappear completely, just like Melanie does in the portraits of the stretching room in the Phantom Manor. At this rate, I expect them to say the hatbox ghost has been her dad the whole time and he's the reason for the missing husbands.

 

[Tha Realest]

Kim blaming fans for Walt Disney Imagineering‘s bad decisions isn’t exactly new. And so often it’s just a complete shirking of responsibility. No responsibility for being behind schedule. No responsibility for purchases. No responsibility for design decisions.

I appreciate your willingness to be critical of Disney. I find myself bothered by the implicit assumptions and the way she frames the issues, but as I look back at the work with her fingerprints I don’t have a lot to complain about, honestly.

 

[DavidDL]

I don’t mind Constance going away.

That said, I do think Kim’s statement basically saying, “Oh we were celebrating an axe murderer! Wassup with that? We gotta be sensitive to Guests.” is a bit of a stretch.

It’s a haunted house for f***s sake. Not “it’s a small world”.

Worried this is just an explanation getting us ready for the inevitable changing of the stretching room. Mickey forbid they have frightening imagery in a haunted house.

I suppose Scary Farm and HHN should close up shop, too. Just to avoid all Karens coming to Guest Services with, “My husband was murdered years ago! How dare you show a murdered body in a horror themed maze that I made the decision to get in line for!”

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Its size was a challenge. “To shoehorn anything into tiny Disneyland is really hard,” Irvine says, adding, “a lot of people in merchandising would have preferred it was bigger.”

They should have just built a lager HM/Villains store in DTD instead of trying to squeeze one in the park.

Still doesn't excuse the height of the building either or other design choices.

 

[TheCoasterNerd]

Its size was a challenge. “To shoehorn anything into tiny Disneyland is really hard,” Irvine says, adding, “a lot of people in merchandising would have preferred it was bigger.”

They should have just built a lager HM/Villains store in DTD instead of trying to squeeze one in the park.

Still doesn't excuse the height of the building either or other design choices.

A HM and assorted villains store in DTD would go CRAZY
That is a much better route, too bad they didn't do that

 

[Tha Realest]

Worried this is just an explanation getting us ready for the inevitable changing of the stretching room. Mickey forbid they have frightening imagery in a haunted house.

oh I think they wanted to. I think that was in the cards for sure this go around. I think they either lacked the ability to come to a creative and cost-effective solution in time to get this done now, or , how do I put this delicately, the reception to other more recent sensitivity-based changes hasn’t been with the cost/GSAT scores.

I’m happy. The stretching room as we know it lives for another day. With the imminent build outs and expansions in DLR in the coming years, will they have the budget or operational bandwidth to close this attraction for another lengthy time to make this change?

 

[DavidDL]

oh I think they wanted to. I think that was in the cards for sure this go around. I think they either lacked the ability to come to a creative and cost-effective solution in time to get this done now, or , how do I put this delicately, the reception to other more recent sensitivity-based changes hasn’t been with the cost/GSAT scores.

I’m happy. The stretching room as we know it lives for another day. With the imminent build outs and expansions in DLR in the coming years, will they have the budget or operational bandwidth to close this attraction for another lengthy time to make this change?

Time definitely wasn’t on their side if they were going to make a worthwhile change. I think when Kim talks about “structural” issues, she is referring to narrative structure, not the physical building.

There is just so much to consider when it comes to making alterations to that scene. Any changes made to what we see after the lights go out will also likely mean a change to the legendary stretching room spiel, in order for the new narrative to make sense. If I was an Imagineer, I would horrified at the thought of changing something so perfect to appease one or two people a year.

Side note, I sort of want to get one of those “I’m celebrating” buttons from City Hall now and have it say “I’m celebrating an axe murder, I guess??” Haha.